Stringed instruments commonly use a bridge to suspend strings over the front of the instrument body. The function of the bridge is to support the strings, in the proper playing position, over the top (front facing portion) of a stringed instrument body. The bridge works in cooperation with a nut. The bridge and nut each stabilize an opposite side of the vibrating portion of the string, allowing the string to vibrate between them. The bridge commonly functions to set the intonation of the instrument and to control the height of the strings above the fingerboard.
Traditionally the bridge of an acoustic stringed instrument transmits string vibrations to a sound board to vibrate the top of the instrument. Typical electronic stringed instruments use the bridge to hold the string in playing position above an electronic pickup. Common electronic stringed instruments use an electromagnetic type pickup to sense vibrations from the strings. The electromagnetic pickups are located between the neck and the bridge, and are often recessed into the body of the instrument beneath the vibrating portion of the string. The signal from the magnetic pickup is sent to an amplifier and then to a speaker where it is converted to audio, which one can listen to.
The bridge for a solid body electric type stringed instrument is generally mounted directly to the instrument body. A sturdy mounting system is critical in order to produce a durable instrument with a bright tone. Typically the bridge is mounted on posts, anchors, or screws, which are sunk securely into the instrument body. This “direct to body” mounting system limits the design of an instrument containing a monitor. Typical matrix type display monitors cannot be drilled or cut in the center of the monitor without damage or a loss of function. Therefore, presently available monitor instrument designs show that the monitor has been located next to, but not beneath, the mounting posts of the bridge.
Electro-magnetic pickups pose an additional problem when used in combination with a monitor. Electro-magnetic pickups function optimally when in close proximity to a vibrating string. They are typically mounted in the instrument body between the bridge and the neck, and are commonly positioned less than one inch beneath the strings. Electro-magnetic pickups are subject to electrical interference when placed in close proximity to a display monitor. This interference creates an unpleasant “hum” type noise when the instrument is amplified, rendering the instrument useless for performance.
Electro-magnetic pickups are presently used in examples of present instruments containing monitors, an example of which is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,837 to Rimsa. This type of pickup senses distortions in a magnetic field around a coil of wire. Current inside the coil is altered by the vibration of a ferro-magnetic string, and an electrical signal is induced. This signal is then sent to an amplifier and speaker for amplification. Electro-magnetic pickups are difficult to use alongside a monitor because the magnetic pickup is subject to electronic interference emitted by the monitor. It sends this unwanted interference to the output of the guitar for amplification. This situation creates a noisy and unpleasant “humming” sound from the instrument.
Additionally, electromagnetic pickups occupy space in the body between the bridge and the neck of the instrument. This limits the possible locations where a monitor could be mounted on the instrument because the pickups physically conflict with the monitor for space on the front of the body. Also, if the magnetic pickups were to be mounted above the monitor, they would impede the aesthetic quality of the monitor by blocking the view of the image on the screen.
Therefore, existing instruments do not have a monitor mounted in the same location as the electromagnetic pickups. Instead, the prior art reveals a monitor mounted far away from the pickups of the instrument. This was done to avoid physical conflicts with the pickup and bridge mountings, and to avoid electrical interference with the magnetic pickups. This prior art design greatly limits the size and placement of the monitor which can be mounted in the instrument.
For exemplary purposes, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional side view of a prior art stringed instrument containing a monitor. This illustration clearly shows the monitor 118 being located next to the bridge 121, but not beneath it. The bridge 121 is mounted with stud type anchors 120 that mount into the body 111. These anchors 120 physically prevent the monitor 118 from occupying the space beneath the bridge 121. For this reason, the monitor 118 is forced to be much smaller and it cannot be located central to the body of the instrument.
Additionally, FIG. 1 shows two electromagnetic type pickups 119 mounted in the body area between the bridge 121 and the neck 128. An electromagnetic type of pickup prevents the monitor 118 from being mounted across the entire length of the body 111. Prior art shows that the monitor 118 has been installed at a distance from the electro-magnetic pickups 119 to avoid a situation where the monitor 118 imparts electrical interference in the audio output of the pickups 119. Electro-magnetic pickups also occupy space on the front of the instrument, which physically prevents a large monitor from being mounted in this area.
For at least the abovementioned reasons, previous monitor type instruments have been limited in their design and construction to small screens and noisy electronics. In the field of stringed instruments containing a display monitor, there is no prior art indication of an instrument containing a monitor wherein said monitor is mounted directly beneath the bridge of the instrument. Nor is there allowance for a monitor mounted in a central location and covering a majority of the front of the instrument body.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.